Modern Music

The more the Grapes age, the better things get.

So say Tom Hooper and Kevin Kane. The guitarist/singers have reunited as the Grapes of Wrath. Once one of Canada’s most popular pop-rock acts, the Grapes (along with original drummer Chris Hooper and keyboardist Robert Wat) will play Victoria June 30.

The Grapes scored Canadian hits with such Beatlesque, harmony-driven singles as “O Lucky Man” (1987), “All the Things I Wasn’t” (1989) and “Do You Want to Tell Me” (1990). The band hung it up in 1992 after a Halloween show. Tom Hooper, who lives on Saltspring Island, and Kane had fallen out over musical and personal differences.

Yet over the years, the rift slowly healed. Hooper and Kane — now in their mid 40s – paired up for a duo gig in 1999 and even cut another album together, although that partnership didn’t continue. Finally, in 2010, after an 18-year separation, all three original members reunited for the Surrey Fusion Festival as the Grapes of Wrath.

“The money was good. We were like, ‘OK,’” Hooper said.

The incentive was more than just financial. The musical magic was still there. When the Grapes rehearsed last year for their official reunion show, everything fell into place easily. The songs sparkled; egos were kept in check. After almost two decades, having had families and other experiences the years bring, the Grapes had mellowed.

“After the second song [at the rehearsal for the reunion show] we looked at each other,” Kane recalled from his Toronto home. “It was like, holy cow, we remember these songs and they sound like they used to sound.”

When the Grapes dissolved in 1992, Hooper and his wife (ex-Lava Hay vocalist Suzanne Little), bought a 7 1/2-acre property on Saltspring Island. He formed a pop band, Ginger, with the Grapes’ lineup minus Kane. He and Little raised a family; their children Owen, 16, and Shane, 14, both play music.

Hooper continued over the years as a singer-songwriter, albeit on a more modest scale than the Grapes of Wrath. For several years he’s played keyboards and guitar with 54.40. As well, he performs often at Victoria bars Irish Times and the Bard and Banker with 54.40 drummer Matt Johnson. The duo play the late ’60s and ’70s pop Hooper loves, such as Beatles, Electric Light Orchestra and Olivia Newton John.

“Those K-Tel records from the 1970s? We love that kind of stuff,” he said, laughing.

Hooper and Kane are philosophical about fractiousness that squashed the Grapes in ’92. Hooper says their early friendship may have outgrown itself. They played their first dance in their hometown of Kelowna when Hooper was in Grade 7. Their motto was “all for one, one for all.” Later on, the pair developed different interests and different sets of friends.

Kane doesn’t waste time wondering what might have happened had the Grapes stayed together, noting: “You can’t live in regret.” He admits to experiencing a twinge earlier this month when he saw Brian Wilson perform at Toronto’s Massey Hall — a venue the Grapes once played.

“[But] we’re in a really happy place now,” Kane said. “I think it’s great to be out playing music.”

Hooper views the Grapes’ legacy in a ruby-red light.

“You can’t be popular forever. Maybe we could have had a few more years, which would have been great. And maybe not,” he said.

“My attitude is, compared to 99.9 per cent of the bands that try, we actually did well. That’s such a hard thing to do.”

Similar Posts:

• Meet Splendour virgins GROUPLOVE
• Foo Fighters announce Australian tour
• Timber Timbre avoid rock ‘n’ roll trappings
• Punk Stalwarts X Discuss Playing Debut Album on Tour
• Cody Canada and the Departed make a new start, come to Abilene